Dr Hive: Severe itchiness in kiddo

[mommymilkies]

Preface: Yes, I know see a doctor.  Our office is swamped due to a couple of doctors leaving and there is often a wait of a couple months to get in.  No urgent cares or minute clinics within an hour of here, too. It's not an emergency. 

 

My 3 yo had a pretty bad reaction to amoxicillin a couple of months ago.  Really severe hives and trouble swallowing.  She was on benadryl and they switched her antibiotics.  But the hives persisted in full force for a week after discontinuing the amoxicillin.  Now she gets random bouts of extreme itchiness.  We're talking waking up in the middle of the night screeching like she's on fire.  She's had mosquito bites a lot, so that's not new.  Her reaction though, is.  And it's not just where she has bug bites that she itches-her back, neck, other places where I'll check that have no bites.  But she's totally inconsolable until she gets benadryl and scratched for 20 minutes or so until it kicks in.  I can't just keep giving her benadryl!  It's getting exhausting and worrying.  Dh wondered if perhaps meat she's eaten has the abx in it to some degree-enough to make her itchy.  But I don't really think that's it.  Her hives aren't back and I haven't noticed a pattern with food or environment.  It seems entirely random.  

 

Has anyone had this happen before? 

[Spryte]

That's worrisome.

 

No idea if this might apply, but DS used to wake up itching in the middle of the night.  Terrible itching, and we'd do middle of the night back scratching sessions, benadryl, baths, you name it. He would slap his arm or leg, because sometimes that would help the itch.  It *was* an allergy, but took us forever to figure it out.  We knew he was anaphylactic to a lot of foods, so we avoided those. But after years of this agony, a new allergist did some testing and found four more IgE mediated allergies.  We did elimination challenges, to see if it made any difference, and sure enough - wheat and dairy were significant.  Less itching, less eczema, less asthma without those two.  (The other 2 foods made no difference, thankfully.)  ...No more midnight back scratching.

 

Not saying this is what's going on with your DD.  But maybe it helps to know that other kids have that kind of severe itching, too.

[Pink and Green Mom]

I developed a sudden allergy to amox a few years ago.  It was terrible.  I remember being itchy like you describe.  The itching lasted longer than the hives (hives took a week or so to clear up, itching would come and go for about a month afterwards).

 

Hot showers were helpful for me, but I'm not sure how a 3 year old would take to that.  Maybe a soothing baking soda bath or something similar?

[sparrow]

My son has a penicillin allergy, which we discovered when he was a young toddler. Apparently, it can trigger dermatographia, which we finally figured out he had after 12+ years of elimination diets and Benadryl. Being tired, or the pressure of the wooden chair he sat in to do school work, could cause hives and horrible itchiness. He would come out of his bedroom at night and his whole back would be covered in red scratches. He now takes a Zyrtec each day and he is fine. I wish we had figured it out sooner, poor kid :(

 

So, definitely see your doctor, but keep dermatographia in the back of your mind if this continues.

 

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dermatographia/basics/definition/con-20025360

[mommymilkies]

Ok, so I'm not crazy!  :lol:

 

She does like baths and showers.  I actually have had unexplained hives for the past 3-4 years. Mostly when I'm hot and wet-sweat or showers are big culprits.  So I get the itchiness.  I itch for hours after a shower.  She didn't have a shower, new soap, new detergents, new anything for a long time.  We're pretty routine about what we do and use, so I'm pretty sure it's not contact allergy to new soap. 

 

I woke up 13 times last night (so my Fitbit tells me) and several of those times were to scratch her to sleep. Something needs done!  I won't rule out food issues, just weird that it only happened only after the antibiotics but then I saw this.  So IDK.  I did pick up some more Claritin for my 6 yo (allergist has her on it for environmental allergies-dust/mold).  I'll start the 3 yo on the proper dose and see if it helps.  Thanks!